Arizona/So-Cal style flour tortilla in SF

[PiuPerFavore]

I grew up in Phoenix, and all of the flour tortillas there are translucent and dusty and fatty and delicious. I miss them! And all I can find here is the opaque shiny type of tortilla, in both shops and restaurants. Anyone know something I don't? I live in the Mission, so I figure they must be here if they're anywhere.

[Sam B]

If you ever make it up to Sonoma, try Tortilleria Jalisco. Their flour tortillas are thin, translucent, and definitely high in fat. They are not as big as what I have had in AZ, but of similar texture and taste.

[katya]

I may get massacred here for saying the "c" word, but I'll say it. Chevys.
Flour tortillas made hot fresh. They're (usually) thick and good to snack on by themselves. They come with fajitas or do what I do and walk over to El Machino and grab a bag.

[Robert Lauriston]

I think the fat content is key. Chevy's are 36 fat calories in a 167-calorie tortilla. Tortillaland's are 40 fat calories in a 140-calorie tortilla--so about 25% more fat.

[wolfe]

Excuse me, the key to what and what does that have to do with the OP?

[Robert Lauriston]

The key to making tortillas "fatty and delicious."

[wolfe]

I see, then Chevy's tortillas can be delicious, possibly translucent but not fatty.

[Robert Lauriston]

Chevy's have more fat than typical bagged flour tortillas.

[wolfe]

So the point was both Chevy's and Tortillaland's are closer to to desired ideal than the opaque shiny things in the stores and restaurants because they have more fat.

[katya]

I have to say that I interpreted "fatty" in the original post as "thick." It's possible that more calories/fat content make a thicker tortilla, but that wasn't my intent.

I'm not sure if the fat content is key or just the mass. If you had a larger very "translucent" tortilla it could in theory match Chevys and Tortillaland's tortilla in calories/fat just by the virtue of being larger.

[Robert Lauriston]

I think the key factor is how much fat is in the dough, that is, fat calories as a percentage of total calories. Mission Foods' (major national brand) are 19%, Chevy's 22%, Tortillaland's 29%.

[wolfe]

so about 25% more fat.
That would make it closer to 33% more or 25% less depending on your starting point.

[Robert Lauriston]

Yeah, the difference is even bigger than I eyeballed it.

Some traditional recipes for handmade flour tortillas call for two tablespoons of lard per cup of flour, which would be 35% fat.

[PiuPerFavore]

I certainly won't massacre you for saying that, and the tortillas are nice and fatty at Chevy's. Unfortunately, they're also too fat (ie thick) to really be what I'm looking for.

The search continues...

[Robert Lauriston]

Yeah, I know what you mean. I used to know a place in Dixon with handmade flour tortillas like that, but they closed. Have yet to find them locally.

A friend who used to live in Arizona recommended the Tortillaland uncooked tortillas from Costco. They're very good.

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/647520

[PiuPerFavore]

Thanks for that suggestion. I have actually had those before, and they definitely are approaching the translucent fattiness I am looking for. I have also tried making my own, and they turn out pretty well compared to the bagged ones from the bodega across the street. Unfortunately, they are both missing the dusty part (and really just don't compare to the tortillas from El Bravo in Phoenix...but I suppose I can just load up when I go home).

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El Bravo
8338 N 7th St, Phoenix, AZ 85020